Bethany shouldered through the heavy morning fog down the road that lead to the coast. Bethany liked this road, she liked the light but sturdy cart she pulled, she liked the driver. He took good care of her. Bethany liked this road best because it lead down to the big water. That meant they were going to see the lady with the water cart, and the crazy eyes, and the apples. Bethany liked apples.

Bethany continued plodding along and began to see up ahead of her a small dim light diffused through the heavy fog. It was not time for the sun and this light was too small and in the wrong place. Bethany slowed. "Go on now Beth girl, we'll be alright, probably harmless" her driver said. Bethany swished her tail and continued forward. She thought to herself "it's you i'm worried about. All a faerie is going to do to me is give me a flower crown and feed me apples. And maybe give me nice brushes on my back, I'm not the one having to be afraid of lights in the woods" Bethany was in fact afraid of lights in the woods, she was not a brave cow.

"Don't mean to scare you stranger but you probably hear us coming by now" the driver called to the shape up ahead.

"Theres no need for me to be scared" the stranger returned facing them. The ball of fire Bethany had seen and feared as a fairy light grew in size. Heat erupted from it and burned away the fog around them.

Bethany could now see the stranger was a young woman. She had light hair tied up and back, a round face that if its owner weren't controlling a rather large fireball might even have been called sweet or merry, and a slim fineness to her features that if she were taller would have reminded Bethany of an elf.

The driver raised his hands "whoa now don't mean harm just on our way to the port."

"I am sorry" the stranger began haltingly in a Northern accent. Then streaming out all at once "I am told, I know I can be too much with being aggressive but actually I do not even like to fight but I also know I should be ready for one when traveling. I do not like doing the violence I like fixing people up after the violence and thats why I am going to the port to find a ship to be a surgeon on so I can make people all right and all proper put back together after the violence. And damnit!” visibly flustered and wringing her hands “ I said I would not do this I am talking too much and saying too many things about myself and" a pause of a breath "Hello, my name is Petrianna Yekaterina Alexandra Androvena " she dipped into a speedy but proper curtsey.

Bethany mooed.

The driver stared for a moment then blinked as if coming to himself and said "Name's Curt. Pleasure to meet you miss Petri--" he began a valiant effort at the young woman's name.

"It is just Petra, just Petra is fine. I know my name is long but my parents like it and so do I but for other people and away from the North, Petra is just fine." she concluded.

"Petra then, your headed to the port?" Curt asked.

"Yes to find a ship to" she began.

"Right you said" Curt interrupted before the young woman could explain it all again "Would you like a ride? It's not so much farther but you'll still get their quicker with us." he offered.

Petra breathed in through her nose. She felt her lungs fill with air and her enchanted stays hold her in and squeeze her well. She had not planned in this. She had planned to walk by herself. She was not ready to be around other people yet as the start of this very interaction had shown. But on the other hand like Auntie Theoda said it was good to be flexible. Having plans and routines was good but you had to be able to break them without breaking yourself. Petra could hear Theoda's oft repeated voice in her head.

"Yes if it's not too much trouble I would be most obliged" Petra speed mumbled out in one stream not looking at Curt directly. It was a response she had learned and practiced.

"Well climb on up then" Curt said offering a hand. The young woman seemed odd but he could not retract an offer once given. Even for a someone who worked outside the guilds there were certain rules of proprietary.

Petra winced a little as she took his hand but did her best to hide it, she didn't like people touching her but she knew it would be too rude to refuse his hand. Bethany could sense the apprehension in the girl. She could tell that this girl was always uncomfortable around people. Bethany had met some people like this before. However, they usually talked even less, and they usually were kind to her and had treats. Bethany mooed. Perhaps this Petra would have treats and give good scratches.

"Well then let's be off" Curt said and gave a light snap to the reins. Bethany began to plod forward again and wondered if Curt would catch on that the woman was like his sister's son.

Petra had climbed up into the cart and seated herself with her bag in her lap. She gestured slightly with her head and her ball of fire shrank back down and rested in the air out in front of the cart.

"Well thats a useful trick," Curt said. He had been raised to believe that the best way to ease over any strangeness was to just keep talking. He did not let the silence sit stale for long before adding "Makes you a caster then."

"Yes," Petra said smiling broadly and turning to him. "I am a sorceress. But my babushka, me mother's mother, she is a wizard so she wanted me to study still so I also have some wizard magic, and my other babushka my father's mother, she's halfling and druid, she taught me all about herb lore and plant magic so that I can help people with that too. Did you know willow bark can cure headaches?"

"I get the impression you either say nothing or everything" Curt said in reply smiling and stifling a chuckle.

Petra's face fell. "Yes I'm sorry I've been told that. I said too much"

"No, no don't worry about it I like talking too" Curt replied. Petra thought she might tell him that really she didn't like talking, she liked magic and she liked fixing people. Sometimes she got to talk about those things. Petra felt the pause over ripen. She could tell now that she was supposed to reply to him but she didn't know how.

"You said your grandma is a halfling, what does that make you" he asked a question that mercifully she had a very exact answer for.

"I am half human" Petra said exactly. "My mother is a half elf, my father is half human half halfling. So I'm not short nor tall, not immortal nor short lived, and very diverse." she said

"How do people like your parents even meet" Curt asked with a laugh. Petra did not have as practiced an answer for this one.

"In the city. My mother is the ambassador from the court of elves to the imperial court of the Northern Empire, my father was in war but is now in the Parliament in Torivda." Petra replied.

"Well you're a long way from home. Why come all the way down here and to Goldhaven?" Curt asked. Petra was not prepared to talk about this at all. So she gave just the answer she had prepared by rote.

"I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to find people that didn't already know me and about me."

Bethany understood this girl, could feel the anxiety steaming off of her like the quickly evaporating fog. She was like Curt's nephew little Neddrew but this girl could talk more. Hopefully she was as good with animals as the boy. Quiet people like this she had learned were good and gentle with animals. It was on account of the quietness she imagined. Only the most precocious animals talked. Bethany hoped this Petra had apples.

"I suppose thats why anyone comes to this port. Either getting away from something or not wanting to be seen." Curt said.

There was not a question. Petra finally felt she could relax in the silence for a moment. She felt her jaw clench and her back stiffen as he began to talk again.

"That's why I had my nephew help me with this cart. Its good at not being seen and hiding and holding things. I have some contacts down in the port that prefer their products get moved without the guilds and various authorities knowing about it." Curtis continued.

Bethany huffed. Yes they were giving the girl a lift to a pirate town but there was no need to be telling all like this. There was no guarantee Esmerelda would even take her on.

"How does it work?" Petra asked her interest piqued. "How does it keep from being seen? Is your nephew a caster?" she asked.

"I'm not the magic user so the how escapes me," Curt smiled glad that he had finally engaged Petra in conversation "but it let's me move certain magical items without them looking magical or being detectable, can hold just about anything no matter size or weight. Also it rides real smooth."

Bethany mooed, she also liked the cart.

"That is so fascinating.. I can not enchant exactly myself but the magic is just so interesting. An enchantment wizard made my stays. I like how they hold me in to myself."

Curt smiled. He remembered wrestling with his nephew, how he liked to just be squeezed. "I think you'd like my nephew.” he ventured “I think you both may be similar. You don't talk much, and like magic, and um,” he paused just an instant “good with animals you know" he concluded.

Petra took a breath through her nose. This man was being so kind to her. She knew he truly didn't mean any harm by his words all the same she did not like this conversation. "Well yes, I am that but I'm not actually very good with animals. People expect me to be but I'm just not." She replied.

Bethany mooed, disappointed. She had been hoping for apples.

“All the same” Petrianna continued, “I would rather people say I am good with animals than call me a changeling.”

“Who has ever called you changeling?” Curtis asked a thin seam of protective anger edging his voice.

Petra sighed "Since I was young people have said it, I did not speak until I was four so there were many rumors. My parents took me to the great elk centaur and they said I wasn't. I don't like it when people say it. Good with animals is annoying because I know some people like me are but, changeling is just" Petra's rapid mumbled stream broke off.

"Hateful" Curt finished for her. Bethany mooed. "I knocked out the teeth of the last person I heard call my Neddrew that. My brother in law he takes good care of him and my sister but he lacks an essential violence necessary in the face of hate." he spat over the side of the cart.

"Violence is ok if someone calls you names?" Petra asked with eager eyes.

"I thought you didn't like doing the violence yourself." Curt laughed.

"Do you hear something?" Petra said.

A not so distant scream came from the trees on the side of the road.

A young man came sprinting out. Followed by the roar of a large and angry owlbear.

Bethany mooed!